Caged Souls
by Earthen Pyre
Summary: What to do? Inuyasha and Kagome have been trapped in a mirror of their own minds and it's up to Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara to save them before it's too late! Updated!
1. The Spell

**Caged Souls**

**By Jessica the Hanyou**

**Rated: T for violence/ coarse language**

**Summary: What to do? Inuyasha and Kagome have been trapped in a mirror of their own minds and it's up to Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara to save them before it's too late! An old enemy has returned, and it is completely prepared to destroy Inuyasha and Kagome's souls, and anyone who gets in it's way...**

**Author's Opening Notes: Well... this story is sort of based on a picture I was drawing earlier...it had Inuyasha standing in a completely black area with a spotlight under his feet, and a figure (Who I can't reveal to you...) standing behind him. After that, this idea just popped into my head! Note that there are NO OCs in this story, so, OC haters, be happy!**

**_Chapter 1:_ **The Spell

Their hated foe stood in front of the group of six, various youkai, oni and other creatures surrounding him. His incarnations, Kagura and Kanna stood on either side of Naraku, awaiting a simple command from their master. The area of choice, the battle arena if you will, was a large open field that was covered in flowers and had originally been inhabited by many small creatures. This, the group hoped, would be the time they finally defeated Naraku and retrieved the largest part of the Shikon no Tama.

"Prepare to die, Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga(1) and starting a run at top speed towards his enemy, letting loose a battle cry, "WIND SCAR!"

"Reflect it, Kanna," Naraku responded to the attack calmly, letting the elder servant do the work.

Golden streams of energy headed towards Naraku and his servants, but to no avail. Kanna floated forward, right toward the impending blast and raised her small, white mirror. The object glowed, and the blast's reflection was caught, sending it back towards the attacker with the same amount of force.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku cried out, jumping in front of the group, holding up his golden monk's staff. Energy crackled off the tip, for a moment, and then a large energy barrier covered the group, diverting the attack and causing clouds of dust to fly up.

Directly after this, Sango and Kirara took to action. The Taijiya jumped onto the back of the neko and willed her companion to fly. The cat's feet and tails lit up in a flame and the animal rose to the air gracefully. "HIRAIKOTSU!" She yelled, hurling the giant boomerang apon her back towards the opponents, successfully destroying demon after demon.

"Kagome, stay here! I'll take care of this!" Inuyasha spoke with confidence to the teenage girl behind him. Not giving her a chance to respond, he hurtled towards the enemy with a rage that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Right when he was apon them, several blades of energy speeded towards him, causing the hanyou to have to use Tetsusaiga as a shield to deflect them.

"Why, Inuyasha, you seem to have gotten weaker since we last met!" Kagura taunted, holding her fan next to her.

"Shut up, wench! I have no time to fight you!" The hanyou growled in response, preparing to cut the wind demon in two.

"Dance of the Dragon!" Kagura yelled, flicking her fan in a swirl, causing powerful tornadoes to form and head towards the half-demon, unfortunately, this would be her downfall, as one technique countered this...

"BACKLASH WAVE!" Inuyasha screamed out, swinging Tetsusaiga into the wind, making whirlpool-like blasts head towards the dancing woman. Kagura appeared to get hit when something unexpected happened.

The wind demon chanted something. Being a sorceress, she could cast spells, and Naraku had forced this one on her in case it appeared that they were against someone they couldn't defeat. What could be a better time to test it? She swung the demon-fan horizontally and a strange, miasma like wind flew from it. This cut straight though the twister heading towards her, and began heading towards Inuyasha...

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed, sprinting towards her friend, throwing herself onto him, but it was too late. Both of them were hit by the mist, and both fell over with a 'thud' next to each other on the grass. Tetsusaiga dropped from Inuyasha's grip in the process. Both of their eyes looked hollow, but the two appeared to be breathing...but, who knew, they may encounter a fate worse than death?

Naraku's group disappeared in a swirl of miasma, flying off to the horizon, leaving his enemies to think over what may have happened. Miroku, Sango and Kirara, who had been battling hordes of youkai, willingly ran to their allies' aid, and Shippou jumped from his hiding place in a bush to see what had happened.

"Kagome! Inuyasha! Are you all right?" Shippou called as he ran next to them, observing them. "Please...say something! Anything!"

Sango threw herself onto the ground next to Kagome and shook her furiously. "Kagome! Wake up! Please!"

Miroku spoke calmly, "They have been put under a spell...it looks like the Tiger's Binding spell."

"Tiger's Binding?" Sango and Shippou repeated curiously.

"Yes, it is a dark spell that traps it's victim in their own mind. Since Inuyasha and Kagome were hit with it at the same time...there may be a link between their minds, they may be in both at once..."

"But how could that be possible?" Sango asked the man, completely baffled. Two people in one mind...

"It is dark magic, anything can happen," Miroku said simply, looking down at the two, knowing they could be in for something bad, if not lethal...

* * *

Kagome found herself in a dark place, laying on her back. "Ugh...where am I?" she asked no one, sitting up, and looking around, confused. "The last thing I remember is getting hit by some weird mist...then...oh yeah! I was trying to protect Inuyasha!"

The girl stood up, if Inuyasha was hit too, he should be somewhere around here...if only it weren't so dark... "Oh! I have an idea!" Kagome exclaimed, feeling for her quiver and bows, thankful that they were still there. She grabbed the bow, set an arrow and fired. Purple light lit up the area for about three seconds, giving her a good look around. The area was a tunnel; very cave like. So...if she headed one way, it only made sense she would end up on the other side, right? Not taking chances, Kagome began to venture forwards, occasionally shooting sacred arrows for a look around.

"There we are!" She said happily, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and running towards it. When she got out, she found herself on the exact same field that she had been on fighting Naraku. The only differences were that the sky was swirling with different colours. If she had known she was in a linked mind, she would have found she was in Inuyasha and her recent memories. (Note that the recent memories were damaged during the spell, so they can't remember who they were fighting.)

"I remember this field..." Kagome mumbled, taking in her surroundings. She took a few nervous steps forwards and then let loose a call, "Inuyasha! Where are you?"

"Kagome! There you are!" A male voice returned, and Inuyasha came bounding in Kagome's direction.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome squealed joyously, waiting for her companion to reach her.

Inuyasha stopped in front of Kagome. "How did you get here?"

"I don't know! But all I know is we have to get out of here!" Kagome replied.

"Good idea. Where are we supposed to go?" Inuyasha questioned the teen.

"We might as well look around..." Kagome said in response, starting to walk off in a random direction, Inuyasha walking next to her. The two continued in the direction they were heading in, and eventually found another tunnel that was closed by a large wooden door, covered in ofudas.

"Where do you think it leads?" The teenage girl asked her companion nervously.

"How am I supposed to know?" Inuyasha growled in response.

"It was just a simple question..."

The two headed towards the door, and watched as the ofuda ripped by themselves. The door slowly opened with a loud creaking noise, and stopped menacingly. When the two entered, they looked around and noticed that it actually was lit by an eerie purple light. The tunnel was swirling various shades of blue as well. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard throughout the cave, but no one was there. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome protectively. For some reason, he had a feeling he knew what was deep within the strange, glowing cave. He began to growl defensively, and he looked around the room, noticing that the sound had stopped. Inuyasha looked relieved. They were safe for now.

"I think we should leave this cave," Inuyasha stated, looking down at Kagome, who nodded as they walked in a straight path, out and away from the offending area.

Meanwhile, deep within the dark recesses of the back of the cave, a figure slowly got to it's feet. The creature grinned and began to chuckle devilishly, making a rushing after the group as it did so. Soon, the small chuckles became insane laughter which reverberated throughout Inuyasha and Kagome's mind. The two would die, and he would see to it that they would. The thing that was trapped in the cave was dangerous, and now it was free.

* * *

"Miroku, is there a cure for this spell?" Sango asked the monk sitting next to her. The group had moved Inuyasha and Kagome to a safe area in Kaede's village with Kirara's help.

"No one knows...This is because no one ever broke the spell, or at least that's what I've been told..." Miroku replied gravely, staring at the motionless forms that lay on the ground in front of the four of them.

"But...every spell has a counter spell!" Shippou chirped in. Being a kitsune, Shippou had a great knowledge of many kinds of spells.

"What is the use of a counter spell when know one knows it?" Sango asked, sounding very depressed. Kagome was her best friend. She had lost her family, her village and now her friend.

"Maybe if we could find the normal spell, we could make a counter spell?" Shippou suggested. He desperately wanted to help his friends.

"We had better get to work then..." Miroku broke in, getting up, and preparing to leave. He would have to rely on the villagers and Kaede to protect Inuyasha and Kagome while he and the rest of the group were gone. With those words, he and the remainder of the group set off in a quest to find the Tiger's Binding spell.

* * *

Inuyasha and Kagome slowly walked along the path. Now they appeared to be an a strange room covered in large, glass-like crystalline structures. This room was the area where long-term memories were stored.

"Wow...look at all these..." Kagome gasped, her eyes were lit up with the calming glow of the crystals.

"There isn't any time to look at some strange gems, Kagome!" Inuyasha scowled, crossing his arms and acting all-too important, but to no avail. Kagome was already observing the stones.

Inside the rock, a picture seemed to be shown to the miko. The figure of a younger Kagome on a small bike and riding it was held in place on the 'screen'. "Look at this Inuyasha!"

"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled, but walked over anyway. Staring into the gem, he saw the same picture as well. "Hey...Kagome...is that you?"

"Yeah...I think so..." Kagome replied half-heartedly, staring at the crystal.

Inuyasha broke free of the spell, standing up straight and grabbing Kagome's arm roughly. "Obviously this isn't the place we're looking for. We need to keep moving,"

Kagome sighed sadly. "I suppose you're right..."

The two continued trudging along, endlessly searching for the exit, not knowing that a dangerous creature was following them at the moment.

* * *

Kirara flew effortlessly through the skies, bearing three forms apon her back. They had gotten nowhere in their search for the spell. The group had known that Naraku had the spell, but he wouldn't just hand it to them. They may have to find his castle, or find the one who had given the spell to the dark hanyou.

"Miroku, why is the spell called Tiger's Binding?" Shippou asked the man inquisitively.

"Legend has it, that the Tiger Youkai tribe, that long ago disbanded once used the spell to torture and take over the lands. It was known to bind one to his or her mind until the victim defeats the evil inside their mind, or the spell is broken." Miroku recited to the fox boy.

"So if Inuyasha and Kagome defeat this 'evil' inside their mind...The curse will be broken?" Shippou guessed.

"Exactly. If neither of these happen, the evil will kill the victim," Miroku replied seriously.

"But what could this evil be?" Sango asked, in thought.

"Well...It could be Naraku... but it could even be..." Miroku thought out loud, when his eyes went wide. "Oh no..."

"What is it, Miroku?" Shippou asked, concerned.

"I know what the evil is." Miroku said, seriously worried.

* * *

The place that the two travellers found themselves in next was completely dark, except for a small circle of light that would trail under their feet. Neither of the two knew where they were, and the best that the two could do was to keep walking in a direction that they thought was straight. In complete darkness, one loses their sense of direction and Inuyasha and Kagome were no exceptions.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome squeaked in question, looking up at her taller friend as she walked.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha replied casually, eyes not meeting his companion's.

"What do you think that thing back in the cave was?"

"I dunno,"

"I was sort of scared..." Kagome spoke truthfully, her eyes trailing towards the place that she thought was the ground.

"What?" Inuyasha froze, alarmed. Kagome didn't feel safe? That wasn't acceptable. He had to protect her!

"Hey, Inuyasha? What's wrong?" Kagome poked Inuyasha, bringing him back to ---sort of--- reality.

"Oh, it's nothing," Inuyasha lied, starting to walk again.

"Okay," Kagome caught up to the hanyou and looked at her surroundings, even though there wasn't anything to look at. There was all black, when she saw something...red? The girl blinked twice, and noticed that whatever it was had disappeared.

"What is it, Kagome?" The hanyou asked, regarding the human next to him who had frozen to look behind herself.

"I saw something..." The schoolgirl looked to her friend, obviously confused.

"How can you see anything in this darkness?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.

"I mean it!" Kagome defended, putting her hands to her hips.

"Whatever,"

"UGH! Fine! If you aren't going to listen to me, th---EEEEK!"

The girl's rant was cut off when two tensed hands grabbed onto her shoulders, slowly pulling her into the looming darkness around her. Kicking and screaming, Kagome reached for her friend, who was desperately trying to pull her back with struggled yells and growls, it was a chaotic sight; like two children fighting over a beloved toy. The hands let go, causing the hanyou to lose his balance and send him and the miko to fly back a good three feet.

"Who are you?" The hanyou growled, reaching for Tetsusaiga, only to find it wasn't there. He looked up at the figure that was intently staring down at them, the creature who was hidden by the darkness.

"Hello, long time no see, my friend," It growled, stepping into the small circle of light and revealing itself as...

**Aren't I evil? That has to be the MEANEST cliff-hanger I have EVER made! Well, thank's for reading the first chapter, so please review and read the next chapter when it's up! **

**Ja ne,**

**Jessica**


	2. Unexpected Encounters

**Caged Souls**

**By Jessica the Hanyou**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything like Inuyasha, would I write fanfiction? No. Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and I make no money from writing this.**

**Wow, I'm updating! This is so great! Soo… yeah.**

**_Chapter 2:_** Unexpected Encounters!

"Wh-What?" Shippou stuttered, a fear overcoming his small frame. That was impossible! When Ryuukotsusei was defeated, Inuyasha's youkai blood had been locked away once more, or, at least, that's what Toutousai had told the group. How could Youkai Inuyasha be the 'evil'?

"How could that be possible?" Sango took the words straight out of Shippou's head. She turned to stare the monk in the eye, clearly repeating the question in her gaze, awaiting an answer.

"It may be mind-boggling…" Miroku started. "But, Inuyasha dropped the Tetsusaiga in the battle, and was put under dark magic…so, it's possible. This only means we need to find the spell even faster."

"Alright, then." Sango replied. She then turned her attention to the cat. "Kirara! We need to hurry!"

The neko roared in reply, the flames licking at her paws and tails glowing more vibrantly as she pumped her legs in a rhythmic motion. The clouds and birds became blurs to the travelers, yet still, they were not sure that they were moving fast enough. Their lost companions may not be able to make it much longer, that is, if they were even still alive.

* * *

Youkai Inuyasha grinned with a malicious intent, an elongated fang draping over his lip as he glowered down at the two figures below him. "Long time no see, _hanyou_," He spat the word like venom, a hateful red glow in his eyes.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha hissed, covering his shock as he stared upon the corrupted mirror image of himself. "Who…what…what the hell are you?" the hanyou leaped to his feet, defensively placing himself between Kagome and the youkai.

The monster was grinning once more, but much wider than the previous smile with amusement playing in his eyes. "Oh, don't tell me you don't remember!" he chuckled. "When Goshinki attacked, and you were too _weak_ to defeat him? And that pathetic moth youkai that you also were too _weak_ to defeat? I _saved_ you in both those incidents!" The grin quickly twisted into a sneer. "And what did _I_ get in return? Nothing! You only locked me up again! I deserve control after keeping you alive! And now…I'm going to get it!" in a flash, the youkai had directed a powerful slash to Inuyasha's head, elongated claws ready to rip apart flesh and bone.

Inuyasha ducked at the last second, just as Youkai's talons whipped over his head, crimson streams of jagged light trailing them. "Yeah, I remember now! You didn't _SAVE_ me! You took over my body and tried to murder every single living thing around you!" Inuyasha snarled, enraged. He raised his own claws and ripped them through the air, towards his enemy. "SOUL SHATTERING IRON CLAW!"

Youkai swerved to the side, effectively dodging the attack. He smirked devilishly, and poised his claws for attack once more, his fingers occasionally twitching, almost seeming to crave the feel of fresh blood running down them. "Heheheheh…yes, I killed many things…" He grinned widely, showing razor sharp fangs, the grin stretching the purple stripes that decorated his face. "And it was so ENJOYABLE!" The youkai rushed forward, extending his claws and plunging them through his counterparts' shoulders, watching Inuyasha scream in pain. The youkai's face contorted with some emotion, one that looked like a sick, twisted joy and his eyes went wide with bloodlust as the scent of the red liquid reached his nostrils. "Ready to die?"

"Not quite!" Inuyasha replied, managing to raise his arm high enough to slash his opponent in the chest. All he could do was look on in surprise, as the youkai appeared unfazed from the attack. Yes, his other half was bleeding, but did not seem to feel the impact of his Sankontessou.

"Fool," Youkai Inuyasha hissed, removing his claws at lightning speed, placing one hand around Inuyasha's neck. A crushing pressure was added to his grip as he lifted the hanyou into the air like a child would a rag-doll. The demon's claws made their way into Inuyasha's neck, closing off his esophagus even further in a savage manner. Grinning like a fool once more, the youkai continued. "You thought that you could attack me? Hurt me at that? Heheheheh…" To taunt the hanyou, he lifted another clawed hand, and licked it clean of the half-demon's blood, enjoying the metallic taste.

Watching Inuyasha slowly being killed by that…monster had drove Kagome over the edge. She got to her feet carefully; trying not to attract the fight's attention, or at least, not right away. She knew that Youkai Inuyasha was much more powerful than Hanyou Inuyasha was, and would easily win in a fair fight. When emotionally prepared, she released a battle cry, rushing forward, tears of rage and sorrow streaming from her eyes as she held her bow in front of her, ready to swing it at the opposing creature. "You let him go!"

"Idiot! Stay away!" Inuyasha forcefully choked out, trying to turn his head toward Kagome, squinting from the pain. Of course, the schoolgirl paid no heed to the urgency in his voice, and continued the suicidal charge into the battle.

Inuyasha wasn't the only one who had noticed. Youkai turned his crazed, wide-eyed gaze to Kagome with an unholy glee. "Heheh…Kagome…you're the reason I was sealed away in the first place…you woke the hanyou up again…" He violently flung Inuyasha about thirty feet away, not even looking in what direction that he was tossed in. Soon after, the creature launched himself forward and raised his arm to strike the girl down as he ran towards the human.

'_Toolatetoolatetoolatetoolate!_' The words repeated like a broken record in Inuyasha's head. His youkai half was only five feet away from Kagome now. There was no time for him to stop the monster from shredding her to bits, spilling the innocent girl's blood on the ground. In his state of panic, he did the only thing he could. "KAGOME!" He screamed out, his bleeding neck not hindering his speech. Pleading for the creature to stop, he screamed again. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" But it was no use. Kagome was about to die.

Or so they thought.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, from Kagome's running, to Inuyasha's desperate cries, and Youkai Inuyasha's oncoming attack. There was a pink dazzle of light, but this was not Kagome's doing. When everything returned to normal, the scene had changed. Kagome and Inuyasha looked shocked, frozen in place, and Youkai Inuyasha was snarling with utter rage and annoyance as he stared at his arm.

There was an arrow sticking out of it.

The two protagonists turned their gaze from the youkai to the right. Standing there was a miko, a familiar one at that. Clad in her traditional clothes, with her bow ready, Kikyou notched another arrow. "Don't move." She spoke with a chillingly calm air, as if she had done this all before. "If you do, I shall purify you, here and now."

Youkai Inuyasha had no choice but to follow her orders. Reluctantly, he stopped dead in his tracks, his only movement was to rip the arrow out of his arm and let it drop to the ground. "What are you doing here, bitch?" He growled at the miko, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You can't enter here! You weren't put under the spell like those two!"

'_The spell?_' Kagome thought to herself. She had failed to notice that she was only a foot away from the youkai, as she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Yes, the spell," Kikyou spoke as if she had read Kagome's mind. "You and Inuyasha were put under a spell that has trapped you within this place…a mirror of your minds, put together in the spell." She averted her gaze to the youkai, glaring at him. "This creature was hidden deep within Inuyasha's mind…and I, am part of your soul Kagome. I can read your individual thoughts, as we are one."

"Ki-Kikyou…" Inuyasha mumbled, forcing himself to his feet while trying to ignore the pain from his wounds. Building up his courage, he shouted out his question. "Why are you helping us?"

"Because…If this creature kills both of you, the spell will be broken…but…" She paused, the thought giving the miko a fear that she didn't want to feel. "Kagome will never return, and that monster will gain control of your body, Inuyasha. That is why you two must escape! You must leave…now!"

Inuyasha nodded reluctantly, rushing over to grab Kagome, holding her hand and pulling her as far away from the demonic being as possible. "Let's go!" The inu-hanyou motioned for his companion to climb on his back.

Of course, the youkai didn't agree with this. Rage came over all of his features, and he let loose a screech. "NO! YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE!" He prepared to leap towards his prey and kill them on the spot, but was stopped by the glow of a sacred arrow that missed his face by an inch. He whipped around to face Kikyou, glaring constantly at her. "I suppose that they can wait." He snarled, his glowing eyes darting over to look at the two souls that were about to leave, then flicking his attention once again to the holy miko. "You've just asked for death!" With a mighty leap, the demon propelled himself into battle, the war between the youkai and the miko had just begun.

Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back and the companions stared at the ongoing fight solemnly. "Kikyou-sama…" Kagome mumbled sorrowfully. The miko was sacrificing herself for them. Kagome knew they couldn't wait any longer or her sacrifice would be in vane. "Let's go."

Inuyasha's only reply was a nod. With a swift jump, he started a run in the direction that his instincts told him to go, the direction that hopefully would lead them both out of this dark place.

Kikyou the Miko…

May her sacrifice not be in vane

**

* * *

**

The village that had spread itself below the travelers appeared rich indeed. On her master's command, the flaming cat slowly brought herself down towards the ground, regulating the flames of youki that allowed flight. Quickly, Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara reached the village and the inquiring had begun.

"Excuse me, sir!" Miroku questioned a man dressed in the clothes of an aristocrat. The man turned to face the monk, looking rather suspiciously at the man who had called for him.

"What is it that you ask of me, houshi?" the lord asked, with a preppy tone evident in his voice.

"We have been seeking a spell, and one of your social status must know of the Tiger's Binding, a magic known by many southern nobles such as yourself,"

The man's eyes flicked back and forth nervously and he whispered to Miroku, "Come this way,"

Miroku looked to the others in the group and motioned for them to follow, which they did. First came Sango, then Kirara, and then Shippou.

The man led them into a castle, and through many rooms. Each one had richly coloured decorations, ornaments and carpets so rich that made what the normal lords and ladies had contained within their castles look like every day trinkets. Each room led to another, like a maze that wasn't meant to end. Soon, a room was reached. Its decorations were even greater than that of the other's, but most interesting of all was the set up.

The room was like a shrine to tigers. There were golden statues of the large cats, with beautifully cut obsidian stripes and ruby eyes. There were wall carpets with sewn legends of tigers. _Everything_ was tiger-related.

"Wow…Look at all of the tiger stuff!" Shippou gasped, bewildered at the scene set in front of his large eyes. Sango and Miroku seemed equally surprised, while Kirara seemed very comfortable amongst the shrine to the feline that looked very much like her large form.

"You see..." The man began. "I was once the general of the tiger tribe. We had stormed the lands, trapping our enemies within their own minds." The lord's features had begun to change. He soon became a cat-like beast. Two stag horns sprouted off of his head like the branches of a tree. His human ears dissipated, and were replaced with two small cat-like ones. Golden fur grew all over is body, zigzagged with wild raven-coloured stripes. The man's nose and mouth stretched out into a muzzle, while fangs forced themselves out of his jaw. His eyes turned an ebony-black with two red slits contained in each one. His hands retained their shape, but were also covered in fur and claws forced their ways out of the fingers. Four tails swung down behind him, lashing violently. To top all of this off, he had grown to a good eight feet tall. He then spoke in a voice that sounded more like a roar than the smooth one that he had spoken in before. "If you want to use our spell, you must defeat me, the tai-youkai Torakibamaru!"

"Well, fine then!" Sango yelled to the demon, holding Hiraikotsu out to attack. "HIRAIKOTSU!" The giant boomerang soared through the air, the velocity causing the hidden blades to stick out of the edges, cutting anything in its way into tiny bits. The boomerang contacted with the tora-youkai's chest, but seemed to do no damage at all.

"Foolish Taijiya!" Torakibamaru hissed as the weapon fell to the ground with a loud 'thud'. "To think that you thought a weapon made from the bones of fallen youkai could harm a youkai of **my** stature!"

"This may be harder than I thought…" Sango gave a frustrated sigh to the aloof youkai's comment. "Kirara!" She called the cat, which immediately transformed into her larger, more lethal form. "Let's go!"

Kirara sped over to her companion's side, who gave a graceful leap onto the neko's back. The fire-cat roared and flew towards Hiraikotsu so that her master may fight as well.

"Sacred Sutras!" Miroku yelled, tossing some sutras towards the large demon, temporarily paralyzing him. With a cry, he leaped up and brought the sacred staff down on the creature's head, hoping to hear a crack, but all there was, was a smacking noise, telling the warriors they had only managed to cause minor damage.

Now that she once more held her weapon, Sango was prepared to once again attack the monster. Together, the demon-cat and the human rushed into the battle once more, a desperate feeling coming into play. They needed the spell!

Shippou wanted to fight, he had actually tried to enter battle several times, but there was no use. He was too cowardly. "I-I'm just a kid!" He cried. "But…" a thought crossed the kitsune's mind. '_Kagome…Inuyasha…._' That was right! They were fighting for their friends! "I've gotta keep it together!" He mumbled and then released his own attack. "FOX MAGIC!" A giant toy horse stampeded toward Torakibamaru, but did nothing at all. "No! It didn't work!"

"It is useless! I am the tora no taisho!" Torakibamaru roared to the group. He then released a barrage of orange flames that streamed from his mouth, causing the group to leap out of the way and watch as they charred most of the room black.

"Why you…" Sango didn't finish the sentence, for at that second, the group had all moved out of the way, into the precise position that gave Miroku a chance to release his most powerful attack.

"WIND TUNNEL!" the jade prayer beads were ripped off of the monk's gauntlet, which made the bottom flap of fabric open, revealing his hand. A dark purple light was emanating from his hand being caused by the dark energy of Miroku's Kazaana. The black hole began to suck everything in around it, ornaments, carpets, dirt, and most important of all, the great tiger.

"Wh-What?" Torakibamaru stuttered. He was being drawn in! "I give up! I give!"

"That's a good tiger," Miroku said with a sly tone. In an instant, the prayer beads were once again around the gauntlet, holding the back the black void once more.

The youkai returned to his human form and spoke, defeated. "I shall give you the spell."

**Now wasn't that great? Okay, it's a cliffhanger, but, I actually updated! So, were you surprised? Kikyou showed up! Did she die, or not? Hmm…What happened to Youkai Inuyasha? And is Torakibamaru really going to give our other little group the spell? Will I ever stop asking questions? Maybe not! XD Well, remember to review! My birthday's coming up after all. First one to guess what age I'm turning gets an invisible cookie! Oh, here's the Japanese used in this chapter.**

**Youkai: Demon/Monster/Supernatural Being etc.**

**Tora no Taisho: General of the Tigers**

**Tora: Tiger**

**Torakibamaru: 'Tiger Fang Circle'**

**Youki: Youkai energy**

**-sama: Used after a name to show high respect. The closest meaning is Lord or Lady.**

**Kazaana: 'Air Rip'. Viz translated it as 'Wind Tunnel'**

**Sankontessou: 'Soul Shattering Iron Claw'. Viz translated it as 'Iron Reaver Soul Stealer'**

**Tetsusaiga: 'Iron-Crushing Fang'. Properly romanized as Tessaiga, but I chose Viz's version because it's more widespread and doesn't attract as many corrections.**

**Hiraikotsu: 'Returning Flight Bone' or, at least, that's what my interpretation is.**

**Kitsune: Fox**

**Neko: Cat**

**Inu: Dog**

**Ja Ne,**

**Jessica**


	3. Solitary Battle! Pt 1

**Caged Souls**

**By Jessica the Hanyou**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything like Inuyasha, would I write fanfiction? No. Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and I make no money from writing this.**

**Oooh…I'm in a writing mood! XD Well, here comes the next chapter, for all you readers. Oh, thanks for the reviews as well. I read them all, I'm not allowed to reply, and I'm too lazy to press the button, that's all. Note that the 'Solitary Battle' chapters will all take place in the mental setting. I think I'll make three parts of this battle. Oh, I've revised this chapter a bit. There were a few errors I overlooked.**

**WARNING! This chapter has some rather mentally disturbing parts in it. You have been warned. (Note that by disturbing, I mean that Youkai is a weirdo who likes to torture people. -.-; THIS IS NOT A LEMON!)**

**_Chapter 3:_** Solitary Battle! Pt 1

The demonic being stared down at the dead, unmoving body of the once powerful miko, reveling in her violent death. Kikyou's body was drowning in it's own blood, various slash marks zigzagged across her, making the maimed human almost unrecognizable.

"So much for her," Youkai Inuyasha snickered, licking the blood off of his claws with glee. He then turned his attention to where Kagome and his sane half had run off. "It was a waste of time. Now it's going to be more difficult to track them down…" He sighed, changing the mood immediately. '_Not that it will be difficult to track them anyway…_' The youkai added in his head.

Quickly, he left Kikyou's body where it lay, sprinting off after the two who had managed to escape the jaws of death itself. "I'm comiiing…" He stretched the word out, chuckling at something unknown. They were close. He could feel it.

* * *

Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves in the depths of their recent memories once more. The field was still beautiful, untainted, or at least until the two travelers cut through it.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome chirped quietly from her perch on Inuyasha's back, hoping for a response from the hanyou. He hadn't spoken to her since the encounter with Kikyou. She repeated the phrase. "Inuyasha?"

"What is it?" Inuyasha growled, clearly frustrated. Kikyou may still be fighting his other half, and he couldn't do anything about it. Kikyou may even be dead for all he knew. The worst thing was, technically, if Kikyou was dead, she had died at his own hand. '_Bastard youkai half…_'

"I was wondering…how do you feel…that your youkai half attacked Kikyou?" Kagome asked the hanyou cautiously. Little did she know, she had done _it_ again. She had read his mind, asking him about exactly what was going through the hanyou's head.

"What? Why does that matter?" Inuyasha asked bluntly, covering up how much he wanted to answer the girl. "We should be more concerned about that psycho-killer-bastard-youkai that's running around!"

"I suppose…" Kagome mumbled, hurt. Why wouldn't he answer her question? Didn't he trust her? She sighed sadly.

"Okay, we walk from here. This should have been a good enough start." Inuyasha ordered, allowing Kagome to slip off of his back. Their energy would be vital for when the youkai showed up again, so he couldn't have Kagome weighing him down.

Kagome simply gave a nod, then checked her quiver of arrows. '_Five left…_' the schoolgirl mentally noted to herself. She would have to act sparingly. The girl zoned out in thought once more.

"Hey! Kagome! Hurry up!" Inuyasha barked. He had already started walking. "We have to move!"

"Coming!" Kagome called, preparing to run forward, when she felt two strong, clawed hands wrap around her, the talons piercing her skin. Kagome gasped in pain. She knew who it was already…It was Youkai. She stared at Inuyasha pleadingly, watching as the boy spun around to see the creature had the girl in his grasp.

"You bastard! Let Kagome go!" Inuyasha growled, not moving. He knew his darker side. He was unpredictable, almost a rabid animal. Make one wrong move, and something terrible would happen.

"I'm taking the girl." Youkai snarled fiercely, his crimson eyes locked on Inuyasha. The next thing the hanyou knew, the demonic monster was gone, leaving neither hide nor hair.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed, desperately looking for which direction the creature had run off in. The strange thing was…he was gone…without a trace.

* * *

Kagome was roughly thrown onto the ground in the crystal room. She let out a soft 'eep' from the pain, the wind being knocked out of the unfortunate victim. She lifted her head painfully, looking around the room. She then noticed what was in front of her. Standing still in front of her with the haunting glow of the memory crystals illuminating him, stood Youkai. 

"Why did you take me here?" Kagome asked, frightened. The girl's auburn eyes never left the demon's crimson ones, which seemed to tell her exactly what would happen next. Kagome steadily got to her feet, watching sapphire pupils track her every move. This wasn't good.

The youkai smirked evilly, walking over to her. He decided to toy with her emotions a bit. Grabbing her in a tight embrace, he whispered softly in her ear. "Kagome, don't you trust me? I'm _the real_ Inuyasha…"

"L-let me go…You aren't the real Inuyasha!" She hissed, slowly finding her courage and struggling to escape, but to no avail. The youkai was far too strong. "What do you plan on doing with me?"

Big mistake. The youkai grinned and his eyes flashed. He began to whisper his sick plans in her ear. "First…I'm going to beat you until you cry…second, I'm going to claw you a bit, and lick up your blood off of my claws…then, I'm going to continue clawing you and get your blood all over me…"

Kagome looked utterly horrified; a drop of sweat dripped down her brow. Yet still the youkai continued revealing his disgusting plans.

"…I'm then going to give a second to fear me…and finally…" He smiled maliciously and licked his lips. "…I'm going to eat you, bit by bit. I'm going to devour your flesh slowly and then rip out your beating heart and swallow it whole…"

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. He was actually going to _eat_ her! "Y-you're sick!" She stuttered, now extremely uncomfortable in his embrace. This was getting really freakish! The schoolgirl struggled madly against his grip but he had no intention of letting go yet. He wasn't done toying with her.

"Are you scared?" He hissed darkly in her ear, his claws piercing her skin once more, drawing blood.

Kagome gulped. She couldn't answer to this…thing. Yes, of course she was scared _now_, but she couldn't bear to give him any more pleasure.

"Ah…so you _are_ scared?" The youkai snickered. This was amusing to his sadistic mind. Suddenly, he released her from his hold, roughly tossing her to the ground. He began to growl consistently in a low tone. The creature took a step towards her and kicked her while she was down. He chuckled as she writhed in pain below his towering figure. He continued to beat her mercilessly for a few minutes before lifting her by her hair, forcing the poor human to stare the youkai in the face.

"Does it hurt?" He inquired, rapt. The monster awaited an answer, but got none. "Answer me!" He hissed, slapping her harshly across her cheek. He watched with unholy joy as the girl weakly nodded.

Youkai then extended his claws, trailing them down her arms, grinning the entire time. He watched the girl gasp in pain, which only caused him to intensify the torture. "Isn't this fun?"

"Bastard…" Kagome growled, now allowing her fiery anger to overpower the induced fear. Still, the torture continued, the demon becoming more violent, that is, until he stopped to taste the blood.

"Delicious," He moaned, licking it off his fingers quickly, enjoying the metallic taste. "Simply superb,"

Then, the torture resumed, he began to claw her legs, blood violently spurting from them. He had to admit, Kagome should have perished by now, but she was holding onto life quite impressively, he had to admit. "Look at me," he growled to her, forcing her head up with one blood covered hand.

The inu-youkai was covered in her blood.

Kagome's eyebrows knotted in disgust. Then, she remembered his sick list of 'things to do'. After giving her a second to fear him…he would eat her. "I'm not afraid."

"On the contrary…" Youkai hissed, in a state of euphoria. "I can smell it. You're afraid." He lifted a clawed hand and placed it under her chin. "Now that you're afraid…I'm going to eat you." The monster opened his mouth wide, showing the full length of his fangs, slowly bringing his gaping mouth the girl's neck…

Bam.

A white light filled the cave, but this was not from the glowing crystals. This, surprisingly enough, was from Kagome. The girl's body floated as her aura pushed back the youkai into a nearby wall, sending him tumbling down towards the ground with a painful 'thud'.

The most surprising thing about this was that all of Kagome's wounds were gone. It was as if they were never there. When the light died down, Kagome was standing up as if nothing had ever happened.

"What the _hell_ was that!" Youkai snarled at the girl, returning to his feet.

"I don't know!" Kagome gasped, but then remembered her situation. "But it's going to help me destroy you!"

* * *

Inuyasha was rushing around the mental world, but without benefit. "Kagome! KAGOME!" He frantically called the girl's name out. Who knew what Youkai was doing to her! Did she escape? Was she dead? Were they fighting? Did he…rape her? With these thoughts rushing through his head, he intensified his search. 

"Youkai! When I find you, you'll wish you never attacked us!" He screamed out, hoping his youkai half would hear him.

Behind Inuyasha, there was a low growling. The hanyou's ear twitched as he turned angrily. "Is that you Youkai! Come out and fight me!"

Youkai was not what had met up with the hanyou, unlike the latter's prediction. This was only a low classed demon. It was serpent-like, of a purple hue. It had a fiery orange mane around its neck and long fangs, complete with pink eyes.

"I don't have time for you!" Inuyasha hissed. Instantly, he ripped the youkai up. "Feh! So much for him!"

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, hordes of the hebi youkai were hiding all around him, and they had just decided to retreat from their hiding spots to face the hanyou who had killed their comrade.

"Ah, shit!"

* * *

Kagome notched another arrow on her bow. She had shot her other four at the youkai, but each shot had missed its target by a long shot. '_One last chance,_' Kagome thought nervously, aiming at her opponent. 

Youkai smirked, baring his fangs. "Come on, Kagome! Don't tell me you don't want to have more fun!"

"Shut up, you bastard!" Kagome hissed, shooting the sacred arrow at the youkai. The arrow glowed purple before streaking right past its target once more.

"Heheh…you're out of arrows…" Youkai hissed, his eyes glinting with sadism. "…And I'm in the mood for a little more play time…" He rushed forward, in a split second he was nose-to-nose with Kagome, grinning and cracking his knuckles.

"Get away!" Kagome yelled, thrusting her hands outward to push the youkai away. It worked, but not in the way she expected. Her hands glowed purple, sending Youkai flying once more, his body colliding with one of the crystals harshly. The cave shook in response. Kagome was getting overconfident now. She smirked. "You told me you wanted to have more fun."

The youkai returned to his feet. "You bitch…" He glared, his eyes glowing a dark crimson. Oddly, he smirked after this speaking in an odd voice. "You want to have fun?

Kagome looked dumbfounded. What was he planning? She noticed he was slowly walking over to her, one of his most twisted grins yet playing upon his face.

"I suppose we could have some more fun…" His voice was still in that odd tone. There was something under it, like a subliminal message. But what?

By now, he was towering over Kagome, snickering. The girl stared at him for a second before his fist met her face sending her soaring through the air. Youkai Inuyasha wasn't done yet though. He rocketed through the air after her and caught her, tossing the girl into the ground. Landing next to her gracefully, he spoke up. "You wanted to have some fun."

Kagome got to her feet painfully. This would be even harder that she had thought.

**Dude, like that was a disturbing chapter, huh? I guess it goes to show you, Youkai Inuyasha has a sick mind. I still like him though. XD Oh well, please keep on reading the story anyway, and give me your thoughts on this (rather short) chapter. Thanks!**

**Japanese:**

**Hebi: Snake**

**Youkai: Demon ect.**

**Hanyou: Half-Demon**

**Ja Ne,**

**Jessica**


	4. Solitary Battle! Pt 2

**Caged Souls**

**By Earthen Pyre**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything like Inuyasha, would I write fanfiction? No. Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and I make no money from writing this.**

**Another update, and a name-change! Yay! This is part 2 of the Solitary Battle arc…Yeah. Sooo…What do you want to happen in the third part? Suggestions are accepted, and if I like 'em they will be added to the story in some way (but the story is NOT interactive, so don't expect your idea TO be added). I have a few more surprises to pull out, probably right after the end of the 'Solitary battles'.**

**_Chapter 4:_** Solitary Battle! Pt 2

'_Where did these youkai come from?' _Was the only thought that ran through Inuyasha's head, beside the need to find Kagome. He was slashing and cutting through the hebi youkai madly, he knew that he had to get to Kagome. Fast.

"Die!" He screamed as he tore through an approaching youkai, slicing it cleanly in two. The beast's body, in reaction, sloppily fell to the ground, its blood spraying up and tainting the ground further. "This is taking too long!" Inuyasha growled under his breath, continuing his assault on the creatures, which had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

His claws tore apart snake after snake, leading him through the field and closer to where his dark side had run off with Kagome. "Get outta my way!" He roared, leaping out of the cloud of demons and into the sky of swirling pastel and fluorescent colours. The creatures attempted to follow him, but fell back when their prey was a good distance away, returning to whence they came. There would be no use in chasing him anymore.

"I don't know where they came from…but it can't be a good sign…" Inuyasha spoke anxiously as he plummeted to the ground, landing gracefully on the balls of his feet and breaking into a run. "Just survive a bit longer, Kagome! I'm coming for you!"

ooOOooOOOoo

Kagome's only choice now was to run. Run as fast as she could and hope that the homicidal maniac behind her wouldn't catch her. The schoolgirl veered left and right around the premises, making her way behind a large crystal, she wiped the sweat on her brow. '_I can't take much more of this…I have to figure out a way to get away….and fast!' _

Kagome was a wreck, she was bleeding and bruised. Her uniform was tattered and her bow had taken so much abuse it had snapped. Her hair stuck to her dirty white blouse and her bangs stuck to her face, saturated with sweat. The girl panted and coughed. If she was lucky, the youkai wouldn't find her…

And there he was. Kagome looked up in horror to see Youkai sitting on top of the glowing crystal, amused crimson eyes grinning down at her. "Are you done thinking, _Kagome_?"

Kagome's eyes darted back and forth; she was searching for a way out, knowing the only way to escape would be to stall the beast. She stared him in the eye, trying to hide her fear. "Maybe I am. Why do you want to kill me, anyway?"

The youkai glared at her, confused as to why she did not scream, or try to run. "Didn't I tell you already?" He spoke in a matter-of –fact matter, still having his eyes fixed on the prey below him. "Your voice let that bastard take control and grab the sword, locking me up! It's all _your fault_!"

"How was I supposed to know that you would be locked up?" Kagome said, mocking concern quite well. She had never been a good actor, but this was life or death. If the schoolgirl couldn't pull this off, it would all be over for her. "I…I never wanted anyone to be hurt!" She was doing well; the youkai appeared to be (slightly) shocked.

"Why am I supposed to believe this?" Youkai's words were careful, he didn't know if the girl was telling the truth, or weaving lies…Yet he was falling right into the trap.

Kagome looked down, a fake look of defeat playing across her face. "You don't have to…"

'_I'm not supposed to have feelings! Why am I concerned for the life of this wench! Is it the presence of that _hanyou_! Is he getting closer?' _The beast growled, glaring at the miko below him. '_No matter. With that bastard's concern, and this memory room, I can't kill the girl…I'll have to destroy him first.'_

Kagome looked up slightly when the youkai didn't reply. Was he going to kill her? Was this all over? She didn't know…"Aren't you going to kill me?" The teen inquired cautiously, as if the beast above her would leap down and shred her to bits at that moment.

"Not yet…" The beast snarled angrily. "Not until the conditions are met…" He stood up hastily, and his eyes snarled just as viciously as his voice. "Next time, you're dead."

Kagome was surprised, to put it mildly. Her brown eyes were livid with fear, still, and she was still tense. Yet the youkai made no move to destroy the girl. She straightened herself out, looking around the area. She couldn't tell if Youkai was planning anything, or if he was truthful. The miko had no choice though, if she didn't leave, the beast was sure to kill her. Just as Kagome was about to run, though, a voice rang through the air, and a familiar one at that.

"KAGOME!"

Her savior. Her Protector. Inuyasha had just arrived. It was the real Inuyasha and not some insane demonic being: the benevolent hanyou who she herself had released from the God Tree. The one she loved. Kagome's face lit up with relief, and her fear left her. This battle was over for her, but it had begun for Inuyasha. With no energy left to give the girl the strength to stand, Kagome fell to the ground sloppily in a heap.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled once more, running toward his companion. He crouched down to the tortured girl, examining her closely. She was just holding on to consciousness, her breathing had become steady, as if she was about to fall into a deep slumber. "Are…are you okay?" He questioned her worriedly, reaching down, almost to touch her.

"I knew you'd be here…" Kagome spoke softly, weakly, one could tell that the girl had been through hours of torture and battle. After her words, the girl went limp. The harrowing combination of terror and over exertion had been too much for the human body; it had worn away at the teen until she could stay awake no longer and was forced to pass out.

"What did you do to her!" Inuyasha shouted to Youkai angrily, his golden eyes shining with rage. The hanyou jumped to his feet, baring his claws at his enemy.

The youkai smirked down at the hanyou, leaping from his perch. "She got what was coming to her, she was asking for a fight…" His smirk then manifested into a snarl, "Of course, I can't kill her yet…you're in the way."

"What do you mean, bastard?" Inuyasha inquired, now quite confused. The youkai easily could have killed Kagome: she was injured and her quiver of arrows was empty. So why didn't he? It was the perfect opportunity, and probably would be his only one.

"It doesn't matter…but I really _hate_ your feelings for the wench right now…" The beast growled with frustration laced within the primal sound. Fangs were bared and crimson eyes locked with golden ones in a battle of wills. "I'm going to kill you here and now!" The youkai roared, lunging for his good half and all the while was slashing wildly at him.

Inuyasha dodged left, barely out of the way of the creature's mad onslaught. The beast had no time to turn, before Inuyasha had kicked him in the stomach. The hanyou was not finished, though; clawing attacks and punches continued in strings, not to give the malevolent being a chance to retaliate in any way.

Attack after attack made quick contact with Youkai. His haori and hakama were dotted with rips and tears, and stained an even deeper red with his own (and Kagome's) blood. There were claw marks now zigzagging across his body: the wounds were deep, but even with their severity, they would quickly heal, but with Inuyasha in this state of anger, he wasn't sure if he could make it out in time.

"I'll kill you!" Inuyasha screeched, his talons tearing at the beast. If he had not been fighting his own demonic half; he would have probably taken on the beast's form in this rage-crazed position that he currently was in. "YOU HURT KAGOME!" His voice was raised, and he no longer had coherent thought; all that was on his mind was that he was going to destroy the fiend in front of him.

This was a mistake.

Inuyasha's blind attacks had only given the savage the chance he needed, a fatal blow could be dealt at that second, and the youkai took this chance. His extended talons reached out for Inuyasha, giving the hanyou a messy, bloody gash that ran from his navel to his shoulder. Inuyasha hollered out in pain and staggered backwards, a large amount of fresh blood spilling out and splashing on to the ground. The liquid was illuminated by the soft, eerie glow of the crystalline structures, and, by this light, cast the reflection of the two combatants in its depths.

"Fool." Youkai snarled, watching as Inuyasha's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, writhing in the immense pain that the (possibly) deadly wound that had been dealt upon him. The demon calmly walked towards his adversary, glowering over him. "Your emotions are what have injured you. You are weak, and you are going to pay for this with your life."

The youkai raised his right hand, and cracked his knuckles. Inuyasha managed to look up at the killer above him. Was this how it would end for him? To die at the claws of himself? This was never how Inuyasha had thought of it. He had expected he would die in a far more honourable way, not in a battle within his own mind.

'_No. It's not going to end this way. If I lose, many people are going to die because of me! This is not an option!" _He pushed himself up from the cold, hand ground, with lightning speed. Inuyasha would rather die to Shippou than to this monster. "I'm not going to lose!" Inuyasha snarled. "Not to you!"

Crimson eyes widened, stunned. "How are you still able to move?" Youkai inquired, frustrated. "Why won't you die!" His eyes shone a dark crimson, indicating his exasperation.

"I can't die here!" Was Inuyasha's simple reply, even though he was tired, even though the blood loss could kill him, he still persisted. It was hard to tell if the boy was being stubborn, brave, or maybe even plain stupid. What he had done was foolish, stupid, ignorant, there were so many words to describe it, yet his actions could be praised; he was not giving the evil what it wanted. He was proving that he was not a subordinate; a puppet, he was not going to sit there and listen to whatever the beast that faced him said.

"Yet you are going to…" The Youkai hissed in reply. He was as stubborn as his counterpart. The next thing both of them knew, they were battling once more; neither giving in, both knowing too much was on the line for either of them to give in.

ooOOooOOOoo

Kagome's eyes fluttered as consciousness returned to her. "Huuh? What's going on here?" Her voice came softly; she was still weak from her battle with the youkai. Pushing raven locks and strands of hair away from her face, Kagome sat up straight. The sounds of the battle came to her like the roar of a chainsaw, as her memories returned. "Inuyasha!" She gasped, he was fighting the youkai now, most likely.

Disregarding her pain, the miko leaped to her feet, her knees shaking with weakness. She wouldn't have been able to stand without the rush of adrenaline that her fear gave her. "Inuyasha?" She called softly, hoping that it _was _Inuyasha fighting, but also hoping he had escaped at the same time.

Then she saw it, Inuyasha fighting the beast.

More importantly, she saw the huge gash that was inflicted earlier.

Her brown eyes widened, he was _hurt_ he had almost gotten _killed_…for _her_.At this moment, Kagome's emotions went wild; love, regret, hate, anger, sadness…She didn't know how to feel. Kagome only knew that Inuyasha was in danger, and that, without killing herself, she could ever help the teen.

But did it matter?

Inuyasha had almost died for her millions of times, the girl didn't now if she should return the favour or not. Should she follow self-preservation? '_It doesn't matter anymore…'_ Kagome thought quickly. '_I need to help, he can't do this on his own!'_

The girl ran; her legs were going to collapse, but she didn't care. Her spiritual energy was drained, but, still, it didn't matter to her at all. "INUYASHA!"

The hanyou's ears twitched in reply to the shrill noise. "Kagome?" He questioned the air, and looked over in her direction, amber eyes filling with joy, taking in the image of his friend, but then worry when seeing that she was heading towards the fight. "Stay back! He'll kill—UGH!" A sharp blow cut off Inuyasha's speech, sending him back at least five feet.

The youkai smirked. "Only a fool ignores a battle!" He taunted, waiting for the hanyou to return to his feet, waiting for a response.

Kagome looked on in horror as the hanyou was knocked to the ground. "Inuyasha! Are you okay!" She ran towards him, when the teen was up, and prepared to attack once more.

"Fine! Now get away! It's not safe here!" Inuyasha yelled back to the girl, hoping that for once she'd listen to his words and escape. He wasn't worth a sacrifice.

But this was not to come true. A spark of defiance was living in the girl's eyes, subordination was not an option. "No! I'm helping!"

Between attacks, Inuyasha glared at the girl and spoke up. "No! This is my fight!"

The youkai grinned, breaking into the conversation. "An honourable choice…" The grin grew into a smile, showing his bloody fangs. "But you're going to die!"

**Well, I finally remembered to update this! And I'm going to try and keep up with it now! I've gotten a bit better at writing now, as well, in my opinion. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you later!**

**Ja Ne,**

**Jessica**


	5. Solitary Battle! Pt 3

**Caged Souls**

**By Earthen Pyre**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything like Inuyasha, would I write fanfiction? No. Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha and I make no money from writing this.**

**The weirdness, out strung-ness of Caged Souls continues! ((Fake cheering)) TT; No one needs to fake cheer. Thanks for the reviews, and Enjoy.**

**_Chapter 5:_** Solitary Battle! Pt 3

Inuyasha glared at the unholy manifestation of himself. The rage in him had calmed considerably; he was now thinking about the situation that was upon him. Youkai had injured Kagome earlier; luckily she was now fine, and generally unharmed. The girl was now cheering the hanyou on energetically as he valiantly fought the monster in front of him. He was doing well at this time, guessing when the beast would strike, knowing when to dodge and when to attack through the patterns that his other side seemed to use. The demon did not look all too pleased with his counterpart's resistance, either.

"Bastard!" Youkai snarled: narrowing his eyes into a glare directed at the hanyou. This wasn't right. Both of them, the girl and the hanyou should have been dead by now. He lunged and snapped at Inuyasha, desperation and frustration taking over his line of thought in an instant. Fangs plunged downwards towards their destination. He had bitten Inuyasha.

Inuyasha winced, feeling the over-sized fangs of his enemy sinking deeper into the flesh of his shoulder. If the trapped soul did not fight for release, permanent damage may have been the consequence. Struggling wildly, Inuyasha tried to force the beast back by any means possible, with Kagome looking on in utter horror and disgust from the background. The hanyou shook his arm and pushed at the persistent beast, trying to gain freedom.

Finally, Inuyasha clawed the monster… straight across the face. Youkai opened his mouth to howl in frustration, giving Inuyasha a chance to toss him into a nearby crystal, which vibrated violently in response to the sudden impact. The beast did not hesitate, though. He used this assault against himself as a point of counteraction. At the last second, Youkai Inuyasha used the crystalline formation to propel himself; like a spring. Claws outstretched; he let loose a primal roar; animal instincts that had been shown in previous battles leaking to the surface. A bloodlust that those had seen him fight knew all too well. "DIE!" He screeched, readily using the force of his jump to slash at Inuyasha; attempting to kill his adversary in one swift movement.

'_There's no time to move out of the way!_' The hanyou mentally growled, trying to dodge the eminent attack. Claws scraped at his side and tore through the durable fabric of his haori in a sloppy manner; the hanyou was injured, but luckily had (barely) evaded a fatal blow. Blood oozed from the wound, further dirtying the all ready bloody outfit that he was wearing. He spun around quickly. Pain was not in Inuyasha's mindset right now; an angry youkai, on the other hand, was.

The beast was crouching…he was entranced by the blood that ran slowly down his claws and eventually dripping to the ground. He wanted more. He would not stop until satisfied…though the blood of a maiden would have pleased the youkai more; the sticky liquid that was dribbling down his hand in a glacial manner still gave Youkai slight gratification. Now that the monster had caught the scent of the crimson liquid, he was going to keep attacking until everything around him was dead. His eyes burned scarlet as he repositioned himself to look at a horrified Inuyasha. His current prey…the one who he was going to kill first.

The look in his eyes, it was one of pure bloodlust. Kagome had seen it one too many times before. She hated it. It was the exact same look the beast had given Goshinki when Inuyasha, taken over by Youkai, first saw the oni. Now, Youkai was giving the look to Inuyasha. She was frozen solid. Inuyasha might die…but if she moved, death would be upon her. She gasped mentally…the beast was smiling, his teeth still dripping of blood from the bite that he had bestowed upon Inuyasha. The grin he gave his other side was not like the taunting ones that he had given before; it was as if he was enjoying the fact that the hanyou was bleeding; elation that the beast himself has inflicted damage—pain—upon the boy. The schoolgirl took a step back unconsciously. A big mistake. The demon's ear twitched and he turned his head slowly, to see what had made the scared movement. The sick smile grew.

A new prey. That's what Youkai saw. A woman's blood tasted delicious to his kind...the younger the better. In an instant the creature was to his feet, and rushing over to where Kagome stood. Although he couldn't smell the salty, metallic odour of blood emanating off of the girl, he still knew that the schoolgirl would taste good. "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" He screeched loudly, as if warning Kagome to run, to see her try and escape. When he was only six meters away from the helpless girl, he was roughly pushed to the ground, skidding across the dirt for a few feet, and recovering into a crouch once more. Inuyasha growled at his youkai counterpart; the beast had once more went after the teenager.

"Bastard! Your fight's with me!" (A/N: Inuyasha's calling himself a bastard again! XD) The hanyou waited for his enemy to regain his footing. He looked into the creature's eyes angrily, only to see that strange stare. The beast was looking at him again, to Inuyasha's relief…and distress.

Youkai growled at the hanyou…the fool had stopped him from getting his meal. This only meant that he'd have to kill the boy first. He regained his stature quickly, cracking his knuckles when he soon returned to his feet. With his fangs bared, he ran towards the hanyou, attempting to plunge his talons through Inuyasha's chest, only to stumble when the hanyou desperately sidestepped out of the path of the brutal attack.

Inuyasha now had another thing on his mind: Kagome was in danger. If he couldn't keep Youkai away from his companion, she would be gone forever. The situation had gotten worse for the hanyou; how many complications would this fight go through? The hanyou unconsciously pulled his lips back into a snarl, revealing his fangs. Youkai sensed Inuyasha's current vulnerability, and did not hesitate to slash at the hanyou repeatedly. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" The beast roared in accompaniment to each attack, until Inuyasha found himself lying on the ground, losing blood quickly and unable to get up.

Looking down at his bloodied claws once more, in his feral state Youkai managed to remember that there was one more prey in the area. Kagome. He looked at the girl and pulled his lips back into a smile. '_Kill…I **will **kill that girl…_' He reassured himself in his head, walking towards the woman.

Terror. It was the one emotion that ran through Kagome's mind at the moment. She was frozen with fear, knowing she would die if she didn't move soon. Her pupils dilated and her muscles became tense. Sweat ran down her brow, and her breathing became heavy. The girl could hear her own heart pounding in response to the other reactions of fear. This is how it would end, if Inuyasha didn't get up. She eyed the ground nervously, to the broken and splintered bow that used to be her only weapon. Not that it would be much use without any arrows, anyway. Those had all been used against Youkai; those that hit their target had morphed into purifying energy to eat away at the beast's youki, therefore damaging him significantly, and those that missed had been lost in the faint glow of the crystal room.

She did the only thing she could.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed as loud as her vocal chords would allow without damage. "WAKE UP! PLEASE!" She was about to cry; she knew it. This mental strain could not be handled. Her entire world was becoming blurry…literally. The mental world reacted in response to the girl's stress effectively. The crystal's light became piercingly intense, yet it blurred. The colours in the room became distorted and brightened from cool, calm shades of blue to vivid navy and primary blues, which mixed into each other like a watercolour painting in which the paints had bled, making the art incoherent. Though the area was still solid, it appeared to be falling apart in the Kagome's stress and confusion.

Youkai looked confused. In this state of mind, he could not tell _what _was going on or _why_ it was happening. He growled in frustration. The place no longer looked safe for him; it appeared as if it was going to melt…taking him along with it. Was the girl the source of this visual cacophony? The growl soon became accompanied by a savage snarl. Fight or flight? If he fought, things may get worse, but if the beast were to flee, he'd miss a free meal. There was no use, though. To fight may cause the manifestation of a far more dangerous situation. He turned to flee, giving the girl a death glare as a parting gift. Racing off, the beast was gone in a matter of seconds.

Kagome let loose a sigh of relief. She collapsed to her knees slowly, fear overwhelming her frame as the room slowly returned to normal with her mental stability. "…He's gone." The miko mumbled, not sensing the dark youki anywhere in the vicinity…but she did sense…Inuyasha! And his youki was fading…was her companion dying! With a sudden burst of strength, the girl leapt to her feet, running wobbly towards Inuyasha. "Inuyasha? Are you okay!"

As if in response to her voice, the hanyou's eyes slowly opened, revealing amber irises and black pupils. He was okay, that was for sure. "Nnngh…Kagome…is he gone?" The hanyou asked groggily, as if he had been woken from a nap.

"Yes, he's gone…he ran off when I panicked." Kagome replied softly, her voice laced with thankfulness. She shifted slightly, to give Inuyasha room to sit up.

"What?… Why would he run when you were scared?" Inuyasha inquired as he took a sitting position, confused. "The bastard was completely _mad_ back there…even for him."

He had a point. It was strange that the youkai had fled when she had frozen up. Normally, Youkai probably would have tried to eat her, if given a chance like that. Realization hit the girl; it was all becoming clear now. "Wait!… If this is a mental setting…if this is really _our_ minds, then shouldn't our thoughts and emotions control it?"

"Actually…that makes sense." Inuyasha muttered in a shocked tone. "But it could be bad, too." He added, looking Kagome straight in her eyes, seeing that it was her turn to be baffled by the subject.

"What do you mean?"

"If this is our mind, then wouldn't Youkai have some control, too, being a part of me?"

Kagome was appalled at Inuyasha's discovery. "But…if he _did_ have control, wouldn't the area have went all weird like when he lost it?" She questioned the hanyou, searching for answers. The place was making less and less sense.

"Good point…wait!" Inuyasha gasped, remembering the fight against the hebi youkai. "Earlier, when I was looking for you, I had to fight off some low-class youkai…they shouldn't be here. What if this place is becoming unstable?"

"I don't know what'll happen then…will we die?" Kagome asked, clearly worried.

"I really don't know."

As if to interrupt the conversation between the two, a roar was heard. Kagome and Inuyasha whipped around to come face to face with a bear youkai. Its huge orange eyes were locked on its prey. The two travelers looked up at the huge mass of black fur and fangs that had manifested in front of them, a startled look playing upon each of their faces. With a start, the two sprung to their feet and rushed off. The long-term memory room was no longer safe, and the closest area was the field that held short-term memories locked up.

The grass was a welcome feeling compared to the cold, hard floor that spanned the 'crystal room'. The two were forced to shield their eyes for a minimal amount of time to allow them to adjust to the newly found light that radiated from the multicoloured sky.

"That youkai…we all killed it in the _real_ world once before, didn't we?" Kagome asked, with an inquisitive undertone sounding in her voice. She looked at Inuyasha, expecting the hanyou to reassure her statement.

"Yeah…we did, actually…And you were hurt _badly_ in that incident, right?" Inuyasha replied, the memory playing clearly to him. In the past fight, the bear had delivered a blow to Kagome's leg, swiftly tearing it open. The girl was lucky to have survived.

The girl had no response. She just stared at the boy for a few seconds, and turned away to look at her surroundings, which still continued to baffle her. At that second, Inuyasha's ear twitched, and the hanyou spun around to face the source of the sound, at the same time drawing Kagome near to himself as a means of protection. His eyes widened with astonishment, his surprise making him release Kagome from his embrace, the girl having a slight blush playing across her face that had still lingered from the hug.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, bothered by how Inuyasha had just frozen up like that.

"Jus…just look over there." Inuyasha stuttered, still staring at his point of focus, the expression on his face holding nothing but amazement.

Cautiously, the girl took a look forward; where Inuyasha was so intently gazing, to see _why _Inuyasha was so shocked. She saw exact mirror images of herself and Inuyasha, staring the two travelers in the face...but their expressions were not shocked. They were angry.

**NOW things are getting complicated (and strange), huh? Those two have ANOTHER three problems on their hands, their doppelgangers and the fact that "their" mind may be ripping at the seams. So…REVIEW! --; ((Mumbles about the many people who read the last chapter and never reviewed)) Oh, and I'll try to make the next chapter longer. So...**

**Ja Ne,**

**Jessica**


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